Pirates Are State Champs

East Carolina all-purpose player James Summers heads towards one of the two touchdowns he scored in the Pirates’ win over N.C. State on Sept. 10, a victory that ultimately sealed the mythical state championship for ECU. (Bonesville Staff photo)

East Carolina can lay claim to the mythical state championship in college football with Duke’s 28-27 win over No. 15 North Carolina at Wallace Wade Stadium on Thursday night.

ECU beat N.C. State, which beat Wake Forest, which beat Duke, which beat UNC, making NCSU’s upcoming game in Chapel Hill irrelevant in the determining process.

Appalachian State might dispute the claim. The Mountaineers are 7-2 overall and 5-0 in the Sun Belt Conference but are not scheduled to play any in-state teams during the 2016 regular season. Appalachian did lose to Miami, which lost to UNC.

Pirates coach Scottie Montgomery played and coached at Duke, which gave him his first “championship” at ECU.

Former UNC coach Mack Brown and ex-N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien gave credence to the mythical state title. It’s safe to say that, at the least, Montgomery is happy for his alma mater.